Inside the Human Body: An Inquiry Begins
Inside the Human Body: An Inquiry Begins
Where exactly are our organs, and how do all the different parts of our bodies work together?
Our year 4 students began their exploration of human body systems by becoming researchers. Working in teams, they used the Epic online book library to investigate the organs and systems that keep the human body working.
But the research did not stay on the screen.
Teams created life-size models of the human body and then put their growing knowledge to the test. Students had to decide where each organ belonged, discussing, questioning and sometimes reconsidering their ideas as they placed the organs in the correct areas of their models.
As their knowledge grew, so did their curiosity.
Rather than finishing the topic with answers, students began generating new questions. What did they still wonder about? What did they want to understand better? Which discoveries had led to even more questions?
These student-generated inquiry questions will now help guide the next stage of our learning. Instead of the teacher deciding every step of the journey in advance, the students’ research, discoveries and curiosity are helping to determine where we go next.
And that is what makes inquiry exciting: every answer has the potential to open the door to another question.
